Stairway to heaven

We stared at the steps before us, Melanie and I did, a bit unsure of our next move. Shot Canyon is steep-walled Cedar Mesa sandstone; there is no other entry. Basque herdsmen in the 1890s constructed a way for their sheep to access water in the canyon bottom, and these (*cough*) stairs are still in use.

Above Shot Canyon on a perfect September day

120 years ago some guy stacked a base layer of rocks on slanty sandstone, and then layered step after step upward. Hikers gingerly (not knowing the lifespan of a sheep stairway) descend the narrow steps, cross the bare area, land on the slab rocks atop the log, and descend further to the second, less-sketchy, stairway below. All this while five hours’ difficult drive from the nearest human being, should anything go wrong.

Ranger Kathryn in her beloved Maze District of Canyonlands Nat’l Park

Can you see the happy park ranger* smiling to be out in the wilderness? She is happy because at 0124 that morning, under a nearly-full moon, a rare Spotted Owl hooted her awake. And she is happy because she’s ready to go down some clever steps and explore a place she’s never seen before. It doesn’t get much better than this!

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Where was the last dangerous staircase you used? How did you feel? Leave a comment, please!

Thanks for sharing that photo and tidbit! I’m fascinated by all rock staircases; the labor and effort and design that went into them is leagues beyond my understanding. Shot Canyon’s was far more solid than I expected it to be. Wish I had taken a photo from the side, showing construction details.

Reply #2: for steps held in place solely by friction, I take some small comfort in knowing that thousands of sheep have gone before me. Rocks tend to get ‘packed’ in place in the desert with repeated use.

We did that route on our last trip to the Maze in 2014 although we ascended the stairs rather than descended which reduces the pucker factor. It is not that bad and actually pretty well constructed.

The Maze overlook trail has more exposure and we generally bring a rope for those prone to paralysis on steep ground.

The real gem is the descent into the Maze behind the Chocolate Drops however. Love those 13-14 mile loops up past Chimney rock or past the Plug that you can do in a splendid day or finish by moonlight.